Just the Silence
by NovemberSunrise
Summary: Evelyn is a young girl whose family is murdered by death eaters. who will she confide in? and will she ever get the courage to stand up to the people who ruined her life? SSOC
1. Chapter 1

Silence

Evelyn O'Brien walked to the store by the sandy street, in pursuit of a loaf of bread and a carton of milk, of which her mother sent her out to get. The warm summer day was approaching evening, and the purple sky above twinkled with the first stars. Her slender form was tan from her activities outdoors, and her hair had grown considerably from when the summer began, cascading down her back in unruly and frizzy ebony curls. Her brown eyes squinted from the light of the setting sun, as she approached her destination.

The soft ding from the bell as she pushed the door opened alerted the woman behind the counter that a new customer had entered. She smiled at her and asked "do you need any help finding anything?"

" no thank you ma'am, I'll be fine." Evelyn replied, and set off to find what she needed. The store was cool, a great relief from the heat, and she took her time.

After she found everything she was searching for and paid the woman, she set out to head home. Well, technically it was not in fact home, she was staying at a cottage at grays beach, right next to the cottage that her grandmother stayed in year round. She was having so much fun that she dreaded going back to school, though thinking twice, this was the first time she ever had. She loved Hogwarts like it was her second home.

Yes, Evelyn O'Brien was indeed a witch, a witch out of few witches in her family, in fact she was the first witch to be in the family for generations. And she was indeed proud. So were her parents. Her mother was overjoyed to send her to Hogwarts, she was always afraid Evelyn wouldn't fit in as a witch, but being with people of her own kind stopped her mother from worrying. And her father was proud as ever, he always teased about him fearing Evelyn turning him into a frog, and she would humor him by pulling out her wand and pretending to cast a curse. At the end of the day he would always say "im proud of you, my little witch."

Her Dad didn't live with Evelyn any longer, but he would visit as much as possible, as Evelyn was his only child. And he would always give her a bear hug the moment he saw her and the moment they said goodbye. She knew that he would probably be here today; it was her 18th birthday.

She was awakened from her thoughts by shouting, a high pitched scream, blinding green lights, and silence. Dead silence. In a panic, she looked at her surrounding, trying to find the source of those terrified screams.

Evelyn felt her heart jump to her throat as an ominous green skull, with a snake protruding out of its mouth rose above her house, and the tell tale popping of death eaters disappearating was heard.

"No..."she groaned, dropping her grocery bag in the sand and sprinting to her home, wand at the ready. Tears were fogging her vision as she ran up the steps and flung open the door, expecting the worst, yet not quite ready for what lay before her.

Every one, every single person in her family was there. Everyone she knew and loved dearly, dead on the floor. Some still with the look of shock and fright on their faces. She saw her nana, in a spread eagle, blank eyes staring back into hers, she saw her cousin, still clinging to her fiancé in death, she saw her littlest cousin Maggie, only a year old, her green eyes glazed and cold.

Shock and disbelief took control of her movements, as she stepped over bodies strewn out on the floor, almost in a trance. And then, she got out to the living room.

Evelyns mothers body lay on the ground, a pool of blood lay under her, her eyes were closed, and her face showed only pain. And yet, Evelyn still couldn't understand what lay before her.

Her fathers limp form lay not too far from her mothers, twisted and mangled. The look on his face, and the angle of which he lay motionless implied that he died fighting. Just as he would want to go.

It all hit her then, in a whirlwind of pain and grief, as she stood staring at her fathers body. She suddenly realized she was very much alone, she had no where to go.

All the anger, the hatred, the overwhelming pain and sorrow flew out of her in an ear piercing scream. She screamed till she lost all the air in her lungs, she screamed till it hurt. And then she dropped to the floor, between her mother and father, and she sobbed and wailed.

"WHY! WHY ME? WHY ALL OF THIS!...why...?" she shouted desperately. Only to hear the silence of the room.

"It c-cant be true... _n-no..._" she sobbed. And for the first time in her life, there was no one there to comfort her. Just the silence.


	2. Chapter 2

**yea i forgot to add an A/N to the last chapter i was in a ruch to get it done with. this is my first big story that i want to actually finish, so ill need a bit of help from you lovely readers. im begging you to read and review so i know if im doing a good job or if im making a fool of myself. any comment will be greatly appriciated.**

**enuff babbling, ill get onto the story**

**disclaimer: anything you dont recognize is MINE!**

Severus Snape apparated outside the gates of Hogwarts, in his death eater uniform, aching and shaken. He had, once again, endured the cruciatous curse more than twice tonight, and to top it off, had to witness, and participate, in the killing of one of his prized students entire family.

Evelyn O'Brien had always been an exceptional student. Bright and cheery, even in his class, she always laughed and had a smile on her face. And he even acknowledged her work and effort, a rare thing for him to do for anyone outside his own house. Though, to maintain his reputation, he would always wipe away that sweet smile with the subtraction of her house points. "_a great pity she wasn't in Slytherin, a great pity indeed." _he thought idly. And now she was an adult, still a student perhaps, but an intelligent and mature student, maturer than her classmates at least. He had heard her berate her closest friends for insulting teachers, such as himself, or for telling inane and obscene jokes. She seemed like the kind of girl who would excel greatly in potions, an art he could tell she enjoyed. And he was planning on offering her an apprenticeship when she graduated. He figured there was no need to waste a mind as brilliant as hers.

And now, stumbling over the grounds of Hogwarts, intent on informing the Headmaster of the sad news, he was not sure that his prized student would ever be the same again.

After several minutes of regaining his balance and silent thoughts of how she was handling this horror, if she even knew yet, he found his way to Dumbledore's office.

"Severus my dear boy, what may I do for you?" the headmaster welcomed his much younger friend.

"Albus, do not act so cheery, you know perfectly well that I just came from a death eater revel." the Potions master snapped.

"I apologize Severus, you are quite right, But you are back in one piece, and for that I was relived," the old man replied, offering a lemon drop to severus, who declined as usual. "Now on a more solemn note, who's family was attacked?"

"Evelyn O'Brien's family. I made sure she was not on the premises, and she is not hurt, but I don't have a clue as to where she is or if she knows yet." snape answered warily.

"Oh dear..." Albus said idly, the twinkle in his eye fading away replaced with sadness. The tired old man let his age show for a moment, as he gravely placed his face in his wrinkled hands, thinking. Deciding upon something, he raised his head again.

"Severus, I want you to find Evelyn, she could've very well found out, but if she hasn't, I want you to take her away from the house. And if she has already discovered this tragedy, comfort her, explain what happened, bring her here. Bring her home."

"Albus, I must decline, im not suited for comforting grieving little girls," Snape protested.

"On the contrary, she is not a little girl anymore, she is an adult. I think you may be the best person to retrieve her. She is in distress, and you and I both know would keep your head while giving the best explanation possible. She deserves the truth, not white lies. And you yourself have suffered losses such as this, you will understand her the best." albus said. "I insist you go and bring her here."

Muttering about meddlesome old fools and their caring ways, Severus was once again, cold, tired and aching, and setting out to find the young girl- or woman as albus stated- who both aggravated and intrigued him all at once.

Evelyn, could now be found, at the very end of the beach, sitting on the large rocks, covered in barnacles and seaweed. Her knees were brought up to her chest, and her head was cradled in her hands, wet with hot tears and blood not of her own. She cried still, harder and louder than ever. She vaguely wondered if she would ever be happy again. And she still asked that haunting question: _why._

Why her? Why all this pain? Why did the world decide to torment her? Why why _why!_ She felt lost, she felt alone, she wasn't even sure what to do anymore, or where to go. _Did it matter?_ She asked herself. _Would anyone really care anymore? No, I think not._ She replied, feeling once again empty and bitter.

"I don't think anyone will care if I exist or not," she whispered in her despair.

"Now that's not entirely truthful, miss O'Brien" a deep voice replied to her.

Evelyn looked up. There stood her feared potions master, dressed in his usual attire, his black robes billowing about his feet, his boots sunken into the white sand. Evelyn turned away, not caring if it was rude, even though under normal circumstances she would never think of being rude to a man she considered a genius and a great mentor. But these were not exactly normal circumstances. She sniffled pitifully, tears escaping her red eyes. She could imagine she looked terrible, and this made her cry harder, her shoulders shook with her sobs.

And then, she felt a hand on her shoulders, placed awkwardly, yet it was comforting all the same. Desperate to find solace, to not be alone anymore, she lunged at the dark man and clung to him for dear life, sobbing louder. She was grateful that some one found her, that someone cared. In her grief she could almost feel secure, being in someone's arms again.

**WOOT! i finished! please R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3

Severus was in shock. This child, no this _woman,_ after just losing her family to the hands of death eaters, people she knew he once was, was clinging to him and using him as a source of comfort. He idly thought this was the first time in years he willingly held a woman in his arms. _' she'll realize soon that I was there, and saw what was done, then she will want nothing to do with me." _he rationalized, and was greatly surprised when he felt a pang of dread and sadness in his frozen heart. Nevertheless, he wrapped his arms around the distraught student and let her sob on his shoulder, at the same time trying to support and keep her warm, as he realized the sun was leaving the sky and it was getting cold, and she wore only shorts and a t shirt.

" Miss O'Brien..." no answer.

"Miss o'Brien?" no answer, just the muffled sobs from the woman in his arms.

" Evelyn..?" he asked tentavely. There was a silence, other than the soft hiccups from the worn out girl. Her face red and tearstained, she looked up in awe.

"Did you just use my first name?" she asked incredulously.

Severus wanted to laugh. At a time like this, she was shocked that he used her given name. But laughter would hurt evelyn further, and he didnt need that at the moment.

"Yes, yes I did. We need to head to hogwarts, its getting late and you'll catch a cold." he answered sternly.

She looked down at her feet. "I wouldn't care... I don't think I can care about anything anymore..." she whispered.

Darkness was sweeping in, and at anytime the wreckage of evelyns home would be discovered, snape knew they had to get out of there quick, and that wouldnt happen if she broke down again. There would be plenty of time for that in the safety of hogwarts. He thought of something fast.

" Sure you'll be able to care again. Just think of when you get older and find the right man, you'll marry, and have children, and you will certainly love and care again." severus stated firmly, hoping to lift her spirits, no matter how awkward he felt talking about some womans future love life.

Evelyn gasped, "m-my cousin sariah was getting married this October... a-and my cousin cara was g-going to have a b-baby! Oh _god! Why!"_

Evelyn collapsed, and severus, with his quick reflexes, caught her with ease, and she proceded to sob onto his chest, her arms encirling his waist, holding onto him for dear life.

Severus looked down at the woman in his arms and mentally sighed, irked and very guilty for what the people he once called friends did to this innocent girl. He looked around, and realized that they were out in the open, making it extremly dangerous to apparate. He saw that they needed to get back to the cottages, to be hidden from sight. Then he could safely transport them to hogwarts.

"Evelyn, we need to get moving, do you think you can walk?" Snape asked to the girl he held up in his arms.

"I can try" she replied timidly. She held onto his arm and took tentative steps towards the ocean. In no time, her knees buckled, she was obviously worn out and weak from all she saw. Severus who was reluctant to let go in case this happened caught her before she hit the sand.

"Im sorry..." she whispered, teary eyed. She whimpered helplessly.

" its quite alright miss O'Brien. Now could you kindly place your arms around my neck? Thank you. Now try and relax, ill take you away from all of this." severus said calmly.

He lifted her into his arms, greatly over estimating her weight. Relived she wouldn't be a struggle for him he started to walk towards the cottages.

" why are we going this way?" Evelyn asked in a panic. Snape looked down at the frightened girl.

"We are going to find an alleyway out of sight so that I can apparate you to hogwarts without being seen. We are not going to your house unless you wish to do so." he assured her.

"No... I don't think I can manage right now... not again." Evelyn sighed shakily, her voice breaking.

"That is quite alright, but you know you will have to go back sometime soon, to gather belongings."

"I know... just not right now..."

Snape carried on in silence, searching for the best location to apparate from. Evelyn sighed shakily, and buried her head into his shoulder, closing her eyes for a bit. She felt so safe, so secure in this frightening mans arms. His words were ringing in her ears _" I'll take you away from all of this"_ it meant so much to her, for someone to shield her from the evils of death. She smiled slightly, for the first time in a while, and drifted to sleep.

Snape stopped in an alley way, looking around for any muggles straying around, seeing none, he relaxed.

"Alright, miss O'Brien, its time we went back to hogwarts, are you sure you don't want me to get you anything from your house?... miss O'Brien?" he looked down at the girl in his arms, and realized she was sleeping peacefully. Relived she found some source of comfort, he smiled, a very rare thing for him to do. he then apparated, taking her home.


	4. Chapter 4

**k heres a new chapter for all of those who are reading this story. well, i hope are reading. and i hope you all are enjoying it.**

**Disclaimer: i dont own anyone cept for evelyn and her family**

They appeared at the castle gates, the soft dim from the windows of the castle gave Hogwarts a magical appearance. One would usually marvel at its wonder. But not this night, not for this man. His only objective was to bring this girl to safety.

He hoisted the woman gently in his arms for a better grip and started up the pathway to Hogwarts, the stars shining brightly overhead. The distant caw of night birds and rustling of branches from the forbidden forest could be heard, yet Snape paid no heed. The night grew cold, even though it was still the summertime, and he could feel Evelyn shivering in her fitful sleep. Holding the girl as close as he could for warmth, he picked up his pace, the castle doors drawing closer.

He kicked open the large wooden doors and stumbled into the great hall. There stood professor McGonagall, waiting for them no doubt. She rushed over to her colleague immediately.

"Severus! Is she alright?" McGonagalls stern voice sounded panicked.

"She is physically alright Minerva, she is merely sleeping. Emotionally, however, she is in great pain." Snape answered wearily. He was tired and his body was still in minor pain from the unforgivables cursed on him tonight. All he wanted to do was take a pain killing potion and go to sleep.

"We must bring her to the hospital wing, shes been through much trauma." McGonagall stated firmly.

"No, the headmaster requested that he saw her before anything else."

"But Severus, the poor child has gone through quite enough for one night, surely-"

"Minerva, any other time I would agree, but the headmaster is adamant on seeing Miss O'Brien," Snape answered. The tone of his voice suggested that the subject was closed, and he headed up the stairs, to the headmasters office, McGonagall in tow.

----------------------------------------------

Evelyn awoke from her short slumber in the arms of her potions master, going up a large spiraling staircase she recognized lead to the headmasters office. She looked up at Snape, staring at his faced, etched with worry and aggravation. She wondered briefly if she was the only cause for this expression. The doors to the headmasters office opened and she felt snape walking forward. She did not want to have to face the headmaster, to see his look of pity for her, to have to explain what she saw. So she closed her eyes, with hope that she could stall time.

"Seveus my dear boy, is Miss O'Brien quite alright?" She heard Dumbledore whisper in a fearful tone.

"Yes she is fine, physically that is." Snape drawled.

"Of course, the emotional strain on this poor child is of course hard to bear. Well, set her down on the couch, and we will wake her."

_Please God, no. not now... _Evelyn thought

"Headmaster, this could be too much for her to face right now. The mere mentioning of her family brought her to tears when I found her. I suggest we let her rest for now." Evelyn felt a rush of gratitude for her professor.

"I agree with Severus, albus. This is too much too soon." Professor McGonagall's stern voice added.

"To hold this off will only cause more pain for her to relive something she worked hard to forget, let her get it over with now and let her rest afterward." Dumbledore replied wisely.

In her heart of hearts, Evelyn knew he was right. But she did not want to go through with the telling of what she found, not now, not ever. But sure enough, she felt a hand lightly shake her shoulder, and the soft voice of Albus Dumbledore calling to her.

She let her eyes flutter open, and the kind face of the headmaster was looking down upon her, the twinkle in his eye gone. The look of sorrow on his honest face was too much for her, and a tear escaped her eye.

She felt the warm embrace from the old man, the gentle rocking of his arms as she cried once again that night. Unknown to her, Snape stood by the window, fighting off the emotion of jealousy, an emotion he had not felt for years.

Soon her tears subsided, and she pulled away from the headmaster, thanking him quietly. He smiled and patted her head, and walked around his desk and sat down.

"My dear child, I can not express the sorrow I hold for you, and I know that when these few months pass, you will be tired of constantly hearing 'im sorry' from many people, but know that you are not alone, though you may think it. There are still many people out in the world that care for you, including every person in this room."

Evelyn saw McGonagall nod in agreement, but she noticed Snape did not affirm what the headmaster said, though Evelyn felt that he did indeed care, or else he would not have shown such kindness in her moment of need. Him being there was enough for her. Dumbledore continued.

"I realize how hard this may be for you, but I must ask you to show bravery again tonight, I must ask you to relive what happened to you. I must know what you found at your home this evening." Dumbledore said carefully, staring intently at Evelyn.

Evelyn looked fearfully at Dumbledore. She trusted this man, yet she was not sure she was ready to share anything about tonight with anyone. She knew he had good intentions, but she'd give the world to just be able to forget. She looked at professor McGonagal, who gave her an encouraging smile, and she looked at Snape, who was watching her closely from his place at the window. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began.

She told them everything she could remember. She told them about going to the store, what she got, what she thought of while walking back, hearing the screams, and seeing the dark mark, running to the house, finding her nana dead at the doorway, walking throughout the house, finding everyone else dead, being in a trance like state. Finding her parents dead. Realizing then and there as she saw her father what had happened. Running away from the house. Professor Snape finding her. And finally being brought to Hogwarts. She thought that her specific emotions at the time could be left out. Retelling the events of this night was hard to do, but once she got started she couldn't stop. She didn't cry, she didn't scream, she just told the headmaster what she knew, in an emotionless voice, staring at a corner of the rug, but not really seeing it. She was trying to get to a distant place in her mind, to run away from it all.

She finished her tale, and drew a shaky breath, allowing a tear to escape her eye. She felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and found it to belong to McGonagall, her stern face softened, a sad smile formed on her lips. Evelyn looked at Snape, who was staring out the window, a disturbed look on his face. At the time she wished she knew what he was thinking of.

"My dear child, I again cannot express my sorrow for your loss, though I know it won't bring your family back. But know that you are not alone in this world, that the people in this school care for you dearly and you are always safe and welcomed here. I will have Severus escort you to a room in the west wing that you could occupy for the time being, and we shall talk more in the morning. Goodnight, Evelyn. Try your best to get some sleep." Albus said kindly.

Evelyn nodded and stood to leave, waiting for Snape to escort her. Snape sighed and turned to Evelyn.

"Miss O'Brien, would you kindly wait at the bottom of the steps for me? I'll be with you shortly."

Evelyn nodded, and opened the door gently, stepping down the steps with her head hung, her hair covering her face. McGonagall sent a worried look to Dumbledore and followed the worn out girl.

Dumbledore turned to Severus, and raised an inquiring eyebrow. Snape sighed.

"Albus I am worried of how Miss O'Brien will react to the events of tonight. What if she closes off from the world? Or attempts suicide?"

"Yes Severus, I myself had reviewed these possibilities while Evelyn had told me of the nights events. And I have come to the conclusion that her biggest fear is being alone, for she was used to having such a large family that she never had to endure loneliness. So, if she is not alone, then she cannot close off from us or, God forbid, commit suicide. We will just have to be as supportive as her family would, and keep a sharp eye on her. Can I trust you to do this?" Dumbledore asked.

"You have my word Albus, I will assist in caring for the girl." Severus replied firmly, if not a bit unwilling.

Dumbledore smiled. "I was hoping that you would not argue Severus. I think that, since you were the one there at her hour of need, she will most likely confide in you among anyone else."

This statement from the headmaster, to say the least, startled Severus. He had not even thought of the idea that she would be willing to ever even associate with him after tonight, for she knew that he was there when her family was murdered. Snape stared at the elderly man, trying to decipher what made him say that statement, but all that Dumbledore did was pop a lemon drop into his mouth, and smiling serenely, bid Snape goodnight.

Utterly bewildered, Snape walked out the door, wondering if the headmaster's statement was just a guess or if it would actually occur.

**k theres anuther chapter for ya. PLEASE R&R! even if your comment is insulting, im sure ill get a laugh out of it. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**YAY chapter five! its been a while since i updated, but i was having writers block...**

**hop you enjoy!**

**Irish Piratess: oh man im so glad ur comin back! ive been so bored not talkin to u! and i cant wait for my cds back lol.**

**Moviegal 3492: thanks for the review! im so glad you like my story! and i will continue! thanks again!**

**disclaimer : evelyn is mine, everything else...well, i do not own...dammit.**

**ONTO THE STORY!**

A week had passed, and as Dumbledore had predicted, Evelyn did indeed confide in Snape more than anyone else, and true to his word, he would listen to her tales of happier times and try to console her to the best of his abilities. He was fine with the listening part, he always liked to listen rather than talk yet he always felt extremely uncomfortable when she would break down. And today was no different from the past discussions and bout of tears.

Severus Snape was currently in his Living Quarters in the dungeons, hesitantly holding a young woman in his arms, whose sobs were finally subdued, and she was reduced to small sniffles and hiccups every now and then. Snape patted her back awkwardly and sighed, wishing that they were talking about almost _anything _right now other than the tragedy that had manifested itself a week ago.

Evelyn had not missed the heavy sigh from her potions master, and lifted herself up, pulling away from Snape.

"I'm sorry Professor, this must get aggravating after a while, it seems like I've been crying non stop when I'm with you," she chuckled sadly " and I thank you for being so patient and understanding with me, I don't know what I'd do with myself if I didn't have anyone to talk to." she smiled apologetically.

A wave of guilt washed over Snape, and he grasped Evelyn's shoulders " Miss O'Brien, you are not a bother to me, and I do not regret these discussions, for it is helping you to understand what has happened, and is helping you to move on. I will gladly listen to anything you wish to talk about."

"That's very kind of you sir. And you can call me Evelyn if you'd like." Evelyn said.

"And you may call me Severus if you wish," Snape replied, hoping to make her feel a bit happier.

It seemed to have worked, for she smiled brightly for the first time in a long time, and switched the subject to the different ways to brew the draught of the living dead.

For the next few weeks Evelyn grew closer to her Professor, considering him one of her better friends, for she had mailed her other friends telling them of the sad news, and they had never replied. And Snape, though grudgingly at first, grew to accept and even feel content in her presence, though he would never tell a living soul of that.

And even though Evelyn had almost stopped crying all together in front of Snape, and their subjects were mainly potions related, she did have the occasional flashback that haunted her for the rest of the day, even subduing her to silence.

On one particular night, Evelyn, ready for a good night's sleep, extinguished the lights and slipped into bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

Her dreams lead her back to the cottage, her whole family smiling and waving, some of her older cousins bouncing small children on their knee, and some splashing in the water or playing in the sun. her father greeted her with a bear hug and a kiss on the top of her head, and her mother with her gentle hugs telling her how proud she was of her. Her Nana handing her a twix bar and kissing her on the cheek, and her Memere playing cards with her grandpa and her uncles. Everything seemed perfect.

But in a flash, the sky grew dark, and tall black figures attacked her family, and she was frozen on the spot, not able to move, not able to shut her eyes, she could only scream. Then everything went dark, everything silent. And then an eerie green light illuminated the once happy place, which was now littered with corpses, their blank eyes all staring at evelyn sadly, almost accusingly, as if saying "why did you let us die?" the silence was deafening, and the feeling of loneliness wrapped itself around her heart. And she screamed to the heavens.

Evelyn woke up screaming, drenched in a cold sweat, shaking uncontrollably. Looking at her darkened surroundings she realized she was in her room, she was at Hogwarts, and she fell back on her pillow, letting the tears pour down her face. No sobs escaped her body, she silently cried until exhaustion took control, and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

**k thats the chapter, kinda short, but i literally dont have any other chapters, ive had writers block... oh well, read and review and ill hurry up to get the next chapter in!**


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